Sleepless in LA
by Jesus.Lives
Summary: Post season 6 Nadia finds someone to confide in after the day ends. [Nadia x Doyle, Morris x Chloe]. Chap 5 UPDATE: On the way to the memorial.
1. Chapter 1

**I really wanted to write a Nadia x Doyle fic after the season finale. Nadia isn't going to let something as fickle as his eyes get between them (we hope)!**

But Rememberance Lane put up an AWESOME fic called "Hands"...

**I don't think I can top that... but for the sake of the unresolved 24 ending... here we go.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Jack he would have punked more people this season...**

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"_I just haven't had a chance to think through anything…" _

Well… I'm thinking about it now. She thought bitterly, catching her red puffy eyes in the mirror and running a slender hand over her face as she splashed it was water from her bathroom sink.

The last 11 hours she had spent tossing and turning. 11 hours until it was sunlight again and she still hadn't gotten any further with recovering from the last day.

She kept seeing flashes, would remember quick conversations, and kept feeling the sickness in her stomach that hadn't left since she saw a bullet put in her co-worker that made no secret about his feelings for her.

She looked at her gaunt features staring back at her. At least she looked as bad as she felt. And then a voice told her she could be thankful she could be looking at herself in the mirror at all, and she felt even sicker.

She trudged back to her bed, sheets rumpled. Although usually things would be impeccably neat and characterless, as though any additional clutter would make her feel less professional.

Thinking about it was doing any good. She couldn't be expected to get through the day on her own. But who could she talk to? She imagined calling her mother, who mightn't understand about going back to work after a possible racial slandering. Chloe, who was there for the entire thing, but that she wasn't that close to anyway and had enough on her mind after learning she was expecting. Or Morris? Who now was trying desperately not to step on his pregnant ex-wife's toes. It was only down to Bill and Doyle. Bill wasn't there when Milo was shot, but could certainty empathize with her decision… or lack thereof. But she'd feel embarrassed confiding in him, after all that responsibility he'd put in her hands and the outcome of the day.

She picked up her cell, beside her bed and pressed a single button. It had been easier just adding him to speed-dial after their frequent communication when comm. went down.

As it rang she could imagine him feebly reaching for it, grasping around in an effort to readjust himself to this new world he was living in. Another tear slid down her wet cheeks.

"Doyle."

"Hey." She sounded stoic.

"Nadia." He said. Even though he was blinded it sounded as though he felt better knowing he had command over some of the other senses. "Are you ok?"

His first instinct was that she was calling him because something else went wrong. Surely that was the extent of their conversations over the past day though, so why change it now?

"I don't know." She replied. With anyone else she would have said she was fine, but not with him. He saw through all that 'polite for the sake of polite' crap. Especially after the day they had just been through. "You?"

She thought it was a stupid question as soon as she asked it.

"I'm never going against Jack's better judgment again" He groaned, trying not to sound dramatic.

She ventured a small smile, something she was gradually learning to do again. "We lost Jack, Mike."

Now he was genuinely surprised. "You what?"

"Buchanan let him go." She corrected herself.

"But you got the boy right?"

"He's back with his mother."

Doyle gave a half-contented sigh. "So, you're still at CTU?"

"No." She paused. "I'm at home."

"Oh." He said, finally realizing this wasn't a call out of obligation and started to change his tone. "You get any sleep?"

"No." she replied honestly, her voice a bit hoarse. "What about you?"

"A little. Here and there. It's easier to sleep with bandages over your eyes."

She smiled again, "Maybe I should try that."

"I wouldn't recommend it."

There was silence for the first time in the conversation. She wanted to tell him everything – Chloe, Bill, Milo, his brother… but she didn't know if this call was just one big mistake.  
Best start with the last thing on her list. "I met Milo's brother."

"I… I didn't know he had a brother." Doyle said a slight hint of shame in his voice.

"Neither did I." She bit her lip, equally as ashamed about it as he was.

"I'm sorry."

"Yeah." She wiped away a few more tears before continuing… she told him everything she could think of about the day. Including how he gave her self-confidence by telling her she was doing a good job – and she wouldn't have lasted the rest of the day without it and how she felt responsible for him, because she could have listened to Bill and Jack and she didn't.

"You did your job." Was all he could reply, but he couldn't help thinking that they both should have listened to Jack and Bill as he lay there in a hospital bed getting his eyes treated. 

Feeling better already she hung up the phone, thinking it strange to confide in someone she'd known only a day, when she knew Milo a lot longer and didn't even know he had a brother.

This time Nadia Yassir wrapped herself around her pillow and fell asleep, the day was a bit more in perspective for her and she wasn't the only one living with it, it's just that she was better off than some of her co-workers.

She was by far not over it, but at least she could sleep and even though she never told him, she was thankful for his brave disposition throughout the entire phone-call. It was her lifeline to make it to the next day.

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**I might be tempted to write more... but reviews will always fuel that temptation.  
I have a finale vid up on youtube (username: Easyboy201) **


	2. Chapter 2

A/N:  
Since everyone's keen on more… why not? Some AWESOME Nadia/Doyle fics are being written. And if it wasn't for those sweeties, who have fics on my faves list… :D then I wouldn't be motivated to write this at all. I write a little less description, a little more action than you guys – but call it a screenwriter thang.

Thanks for the reviews too! That helps keep me writing too…. Well, that and remembering the expression on Morris's face when Doyle told him he didn't value his opinion. ;) which inspired this.

So thanks guys!!!

And as a disclaimer – If I owned 24, Doyle wouldn't have been blinded, that's for sure!

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"Well, make sure you give him my warmest, warmest regards."

Chloe rolled her eyes at her ex-husband, who was soon enough to become her husband again. She didn't know who he thought found his idiotic, smarmy replies to everything endearing, but it certainty wasn't her.

"You can't continue to hold a grudge, Morris."

"Who said I was holding a grudge?"

"Because you've got that same look on your face that you have every time you hold a grudge."

He said nothing; just tried to diligently wrap up signing everything regarding the thorough debriefing they'd had a few hours ago.

"Look, just come Morris." Chloe said in her best 'don't make the pregnant woman more angry than she already is' voice. 

"Take Nadia with you. I've got things to do here."

Chloe new he was stalling and had nothing more to do than to sign a few papers. "And it has nothing to do with him telling you that when he needs your advice he'll ask for it?" She was somewhat incredulous, but it came across in her usual stoic manner.

He batted his eyelashes and looked at her, putting on his best 'of course not, I'd never be that shallow or callus' look. "Of course not. I'll see you when you get home."

She sighed and pushed her seat away from the desk, getting up and giving in – it was always a losing battle with Morris. "Yeah, whatever." She said, not giving him another glance before going to seek out Nadia.

It wasn't long until she found her, or rather Nadia found Chloe and not the other way around.

"Have you and Morris finished?"

Chloe handed her a stack of papers which Nadia refused.

"Not to me. To Division." Nadia pointed her towards the high-ups of Division who were still stalking around the place – at least until they could find an adequate replacement for Buchanan. Nadia wasn't sure if she wanted to come back herself, but this time debriefing demanded it of her and she found herself having to relive the day over and over whether she liked it or not, and she kept casting hasty looks to Milo's workstation, awaiting the next day when CTU would have a joint memorial for him, Curtis and all others that lost their lives in the field that day. "They're not allowing me to handle anything regarding to the other day." Nadia explained. She respected that decision, but still lived with the feeling that she might never get a chance to direct CTU again in light of her mistakes. Division seemed to make it there job to drill that into her further.

Chloe nodded, she turned to leave but then turned back. "Listen. I was going to visit Agent Doyle in the hospital. Let him know about the memorial tomorrow."

"Good idea" cut in Nadia.

"How about you come with me?"

Nadia paused and looked around hesitantly possibly for a way of kindly rejecting the offer, before finally caving. "OK, fine. I've finished myself."

"Good." Chloe looked relieved that she didn't have to go by herself and try and get through the awkwardness of speaking to someone that she barely got to know herself. "I'll just drop these off then."

"Fine." Replied Nadia, as she ran a hand over her hair, trying to look as at ease with it as she should have been considering, in the last two days since she called him, she hadn't been to see him yet – purposely putting it off until a day like today when she could no longer.

Nadia looked around the CTU offices. _At least the hospital had to be more comforting than this_, she thought with a half a small smile, realizing that a social call might be just what she needed to get her away from the chaos of cleaning up the aftermath.

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**Leave a review to inspire me to write more!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Here we go...  
Disclaimer: If I owned 24, Tony would be back.**

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Chloe watched Nadia's eyes flick towards the side of his bed and back towards his face. The room was small, sanitized… but at least he had one to himself.

Chloe cleared her voice first. "Um… Agent Doyle?"

"Chloe?"

"And Nadia."

"Hi." Nadia said, feeling sheepish that she hadn't said anything first.

"Morris wanted to come too" Chloe said again hastily which left Doyle with a smirk on his face.

"I'll bet he did."

Nadia stepped in again, mentally cursing herself for her shaky voice. "You've been released right?"

"Yeah, as soon as they get these bandages off me." He replied as if he'd been trying to get out of there with no success for quite some time, Why?"

Chloe indicated silently to Nadia that she should be the one to tell him.

"There's a memorial tomorrow. For Milo… and Curtis and everyone else."

He ran his tongue over his bottom lip quickly, processing the information, but didn't say anything, his next movement being to prop himself up on the bed.

"Do you think you'll be able to…?" she trailed off, but he knew what she was getting at.

On one hand, it wasn't mandatory, and it wouldn't matter now to earn points with office politics to show up to a memorial to a bunch of people he didn't know… and Milo.  
One the other hand, she was asking. And maybe it would earn some points with her. He felt like an idiot for thinking that. It was the least he could do.

"What time is it?"

"About ten."

"I'll ask the nurses."

"I think Bill would really appreciate that." Nadia said, emotionless.

_But would you appreciate that?_ Was yet another thought that crossed his mind that felt he had to shake immediately off.

"Where is it?" he asked.

Chloe exchanged a look with Nadia – as if he'd forgotten he couldn't see and could barely navigate himself to the location. Nadia took a deep breath.

"I could take you."

"Yeah… ok." He waited a second, and feeling that this wasn't a social visit, decided to cut it short, even though he desperately would have wanted company, he wasn't going to beg co-workers for it. "Anything else?"

Chloe looked to Nadia again for confirmation, she just gave her a helpless look – _what was she to say? _"Guess not." Chloe responded and then corrected herself by adding something. "People are really worried about you."

Doyle was slightly amused at this. _People... Who? _He spent few hours working for L.A CTU and it's not like he got vast amounts of respect and concern even out at Denver.  
"Yeah?" he said, unable to keep the amusement away from showing.

"The other field ops. Division. Everyone feels really bad about it." Chloe continued, making Nadia feel even guiltier for not coming and visiting him. It was making it sound like everyone was talking about it but no one was doing anything. She tried to be active – whether in her position or in any interaction with others. This time it just seemed too personal, especially after the phone call she made to him.

"Tell them I'm fine" he said, voice low and gravelly.

Nadia took a step forward, her first movement since they were meters apart in visiting him, the girls standing somewhere in the middle of the room. "You're not, Mike." She sounded sad to him, but it just made him even more defensive. "I checked your medical records. You're not ready for surgery. There was a lot of damage."

"Thanks" he replied with a sarcastic snap, "but I've got people coming in and out of here telling me the bad news every day." He wished he could take it back as soon as he said it, but with Chloe there it was hardly the time for a heart to heart.

She quieted immediately, her voice barely above a whisper. "I'm sorry."

He turned on his side. "I'll see you tomorrow."

That was enough of a hint to Chloe and Nadia. "Yeah…" Nadia said, as she gave another meaningfully look to Chloe and both of them turned to leave, a deep feeling of guilt settling somewhere in Nadia's lower stomach that she knew she could barely discuss with Chloe – she didn't know how many times she could say that she was sorry and feel made up for what happened.  
Perhaps it was time for another phone call… this time to someone else.

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**That's it, I finally wrote a generic, Nadia visiting him in the hospital thing... but it didn't go all as planned... but hopefully they can make things up again at the memorial. :D**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N  
Really short chapter, but I'm going somewhere with this...**

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"I got your number from Chloe." She said at last, "it's Nadia. Nadia Yassir."

"I remember" the young man on the other line made no hesitation to reply.

She didn't know if she was going to call him or not, but finally she gave in after Doyle's reaction today. She needed to have someone else to go to, somewhere else to try to bury this whole thing.

"Are you coming tomorrow?"

"Yes. I wouldn't miss it. I'm very glad you're speaking for him as well, Milo would have wanted that." Stewart said.

She wasn't so sure. "Maybe." She replied at last. She tapped at the phone with a fingernail, almost a nervous habit that she didn't display very regularly. "Is anyone else from your family coming?"

"No. It'll be just me."

"Oh."

She could almost hear his loss of something further to talk about on the other end. "Well, I've really got to get going, find something to wear for tomorrow."

She nodded though he couldn't see her. "Yeah..."

"If you want we could meet up after the service… if you wanted to talk more about Milo, that is." 

She breathed a sigh of relief, "I would, thank you"

It was always a good thing when someone caught onto what you were saying before actually having to come out flat out and say it. She would have made more time to speak to him when he came to CTU, if they weren't still mid-crisis and she had been able to get through some of the feelings she had been having about the day before that point. Now the reason for the phone call was out in the open.

"Sounds good." He said.

"See you tomorrow."

She hung up the phone and sighed, running a hand through her hair. She was almost tempted to call Doyle as well and ask if everything was still alright for tomorrow but she didn't want to disturb him – or rather she decided that HE didn't want to be disturbed.

She climbed into bed, knowing that it was getting easier and easier for her to sleep, and closing her eyes thankfully not feeling anxious about the next day.

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Your reviews are totally keeping me going. Keep reviewing.


	5. Chapter 5

_Awww… Tigerlily has prompted me to continue this, with the awesome one-shot put up today (or is it not a one-shot:D)_

_

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_"They've asked me to say something." She said as she drove. 

His head turned to her, expressionless eyes, but he conveyed everything with his voice – cracking a little, the way it did when he asked if she was ok the first time after Milo died. "Do you… know what you're going to say?"

"To be honest, I haven't had much time to think about it."

That was right; she'd been trying to throw herself into her job, despite protests from Division. She'd thought about it last night, but sleep overcame her too quickly.

There was a big pause, before he said, as though it was quite reluctantly,"If you want… I could…I mean, I knew him just as long…"

"It's alright." She said quickly.

"You sure?"

Her smile faltered, and she was glad for the moment he couldn't see it.

"Yeah." She kept her eyes on the road, but was determined to keep making small talk. "How are you feeling?"

"Good." He nodded. "Almost forgot what it was like feeling the breeze on my eyelids." He had the bandages off his eyes now, his skin bruised and torn still around the eye. They had been healing, but not enough to make him look… the way he used to.

She smirked, although she was sure that he didn't mean it in an amusing way. "I guess I take it for granted."

"You always do until something happens to you." 

She drove on, not quite sure about how to answer that, thoughts of Milo swarming her brain… although now it felt as though it had been talked through to death (with Doyle) and she couldn't bear to get up and go through it all again.

They didn't speak again until she parked.

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**Next up:  
Chloe and Morris go over the same old issues**

**And Doyle is confronted with both Stewart and Josh…**


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